but near the disputed scarborough shoal, the situation remains largely unchanged. china continues to dispatch surveillance ships to the area even after the philippines withdrew its own vessels. a former senior official of the philippine foreign ministry warns that the current diplomatic approach could force the country to give up the shoal. >> we must regain access to the area. otherwise, the risk of it completely is there. >> we're joined now by nhk world's pin janda who is covering the meetings here in phnom penh. now, pin, monday's sessions unveiled its new leadership headed by xi jinping. has there been any indication of a change of policy going forward? >> china's new officials are moved to be sworn in next month, so china is now in a transition period. as much as possible it wants to avoid trouble with its neighbor. there were signs of that during monday's meeting. for now, they seem to be sticking to the existing diplomatic policies of outgoing president hu jintao. but it gives the new generation time to strengthen its support base. >> now, as we saw in the